とある科学の魔王A certain scientific Demon King
by DivineDemonDragon
Summary: Touma only actually met the darkness of science and magic after meeting Index. He has once before, however, fought someone who was ruined by both - and he's back. (slight AU, Raildex, starts at Level Upper incident, rated T for violence and language, MikotoXTouma) Quote: Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. I don't own Index or Railgun
1. Prolouge

**AN: To those of you reading my works for the first time: well met. To those of you who have returned to read more: welcome back. To the latter, I am sorry for the inconvinience, it must seem like I am not getting anywhere with my stories. Let me reasure you, however, that I already have the plots for the current arcs, incl. this one, completely planned out. I just need to get it written down. So without further ado, I present to you (yet) another fanfiction of mine: To Aru Kagaku no Maou, or, A certain scientific Demon king.**

 **Prologue**

"Gah!" Saten Ruiko exclaimed as the wannabe robber kicked her, unable to make her let go of his former hostage, a young boy. She heard him get into the white car with his and his companions loot, preparing to drive off. Opening her eyes, she looked past the car and saw Misaka Mikoto, whom she'd just met today, deliberately standing in the vehicle's way.

To her right, on the opposite side of the street, the other two thugs finally seem to realize who they were up against: Judgment's Shirai Kuroko, level 4 teleporter, and her close friend, Misaka 'Railgun' Mikoto, ranked third amongst the seven level 5's and the most powerful electrokinetic of Academy city. As Ruiko watched her new friend preparing her attack, something behind the electromaster caught the level 0's attention.

It looked like a person, a boy, or a young man, she couldn't tell. But Ruiko saw him adopting a similar pose to Mikoto, except that his empty palm was facing the girl in front of him. Ruiko was then blinded momentarily by what should have been Mikoto's signature move. Should have been.

After a sound that suggested the car getting blown to pieces, Ruiko opened her eyes again, finding something virtually impossible: Aside from the driver, the loot and the combustible engine, the whole car had been reduced to millions of burnt, black scrap metal bits.

The reactions were varied, though Ruiko didn't catch them all. The robbers were intimidated by the powerful esper, Uiharu Kazari, Kuroko and Ruiko's mutual friend, was in awe of said person, was were the bystanders. Only Kuroko was shocked, and bothered to discern her roommate's reaction, which disturbed her even more; Mikoto's face was a conglomeration of confusion, shock and fear.

Ruiko saw her face too, and tried to find the person who was standing behind her friend – but he had long since disappeared.

* * *

"You mean to tell me that your attack, which was supposed to just _stop_ the oncoming car, destroyed it instead?" The P.E. teacher/Anti-Skill officer Yomikawa Aiho was interrogating the four girls about the incident at her office. "Are you suggesting that Onee-sama lost control of her powers?" Kuroko asked with a hint of uncertainty. It certainly had looked that way. However, Yomikawa shook her head: "On the contrary, it was too controlled." "How so?" Kazari tilted her head, still not understanding the problem.

"The driver, the loot and the engine, in specifically, were all completely unaffected, not a single scratch. That level of precision is not impossible for a level 5, but given the situation, it is highly unlikely," explained the officer.

Ruiko, who until then had been silent, spoke up: "It wasn't Misaka-san." Seeing the curious looks directed at her, she stumbled to explain: "T-there was a guy behind her when she fired! A-and the way he was standing, well... it certainly looked like he, I don't know, manipulated the attack or something!" Yomikawa narrowed her eyes: "What did he look like?"

"Uh... dunno, I think he was a foreigner, he could've been in high school, or university. Ah, but his hair was weird. Half of it was _way_ lighter than the rest." She didn't notice, but Yomikawa clenched her teeth. _'Is it true? Could that boy really have come back?'_

"Anything else?" she asked rather urgently, "Maybe heterochromatic eyes?" "Hetero-what now?" Ruiko wasn't familiar with the term. Mikoto explained: "She means eyes with two different colors."

"Oh, yeah! He had these, dunno, green and red glowing eyes!" Mikoto stiffened at that, though the others didn't notice. Neither did Yomikawa: "Rather than red, could it have been magenta?"

"I dunno, maybe, is it really that different? Wait," Ruiko realized something, "Do you know this guy, sensei?"

"...maybe..." was the reply. Kuroko meanwhile turned to notice Mikoto clutching her head in suppressed fear. _'It's not him, there's no way it's him, it's – '_ "Onee-sama? Is something wrong?" "Eh!? Ah, no, n-nothing, everything's fine. Haha." Kuroko narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but dropped the subject.

Instead, she asked Yomikawa: "Should we be wary of this male? To enhance Onee-sama's attack at all would require a minimum level of 3, this extent would be befitting of a level 4 esper." She never even considered that he might be higher than that.

The officer stayed silent for a few more moments. The girls could all tell that she was conflicted, though the exact subject of that conflict was unknown to them. Finally, she replied, carefully, but honestly: "I would rather you approached him peacefully. If he is who I think he is... then let's just say, he does _not_ respond well to provocations or hostilities – of _**any**_ sort."

The girls nodded, the most enthusiastic being Ruiko, who could smell an urban legend 10 km against the wind. Kazari was a little intimidated by what Yomikawa said at the end, and Kuroko was worried about the same thing. Mikoto just wished she wouldn't have the misfourtune of ever meeting that guy.


	2. Level Upper pt 1

**AN: Welcome back, my readers. As you probably noticed, the prologue's sole purpose was to 'introduce' my OC. For now, he'll be the only one, though. And for those of you wishing for an OP Touma – I have to half-way disappoint you. He will be stronger than his canon counterpart – eventually. But not OP, that's my OC's job.**

 **Now, some of you might be wondering how I intend to pull off ToumaxMikoto within my half-way cannon context, which I do (he's still getting his harem, I'm just tweaking the competition in various ways). All I'll say is, grab your popcorn. (Or not.)**

 **Level Upper Part 1**

Ruiko Saten sat in a café and sighed. The day before, she and Kazari Uiharu had visited their friends Mikoto and Kuroko's dorm after a chance run-in with the level 5, who looked like she'd run a marathon. Her explanation of running after an old friend seemed weird, but earnest and the younger girls didn't pursue the matter at the time.

Unfortunately, their visit was cut short due to an argument between the two Tokiwadai students concerning Kuroko's habits, which their Dorm Manager brought to an abrupt, but frighteningly effective end. As punishment for using their powers in the dorm, Mikoto and Kuroko have to clean one of the schools pools today, by themselves. And since Kazari had been called to the Judgment office, Ruiko ended up with time on her hands and no one to share it with.

Her thoughts turned towards the System-Scan earlier that week. Like last year and the year before that, the results were: Level 0, no traceable amount of useful power for an ability. She hadn't needed anyone pointing that out for her though, it was quite obvious that she _still_ had no powers to speak of. The scan only rubbed salt in the wound.

Ruiko sighed. Trying to get her mind off of things, she pulled out her laptop to look up the hottest rumors, as is her past-time. She found several things, including the 'Stripper Woman', the 'Level Upper', the 'Ability to cancel other Abilities', and the 'Demon King' – _'Wait, 'Demon King'?'_

The adolescent girl clicked the link, bringing up a two-year old news article on the rampant esper who seems to have been coined 'Demon King', both for the amount of destruction he caused as well as the Kanji for 'Magic' and 'King' he carved into the infamous Windowless Building during the last ten minutes of the destruction, which were still present to this day. He had disappeared after a three hour rampage, but the people who made the site she was on persist that he lives and roams the city to this day, recent pictures of those same Kanji being engraved into walls in District 10 supporting that claim and being the cause of the return to popularity.

Ruiko remembered that time well. It was a month before her first System-Scan, and a month after she first entered Academy City. Thankfully, and miraculously, there wasn't a single fatal casualty in the incident, despite the ungodly amount of ruins left behind, though she doubted that the outside public even knew that much. If they had, her family would've quite likely taken her out of the City, even though the damage was limited to Districts without a single actual school facility – the classic excuse of 'if it already happened here, then why not there' would've cost Academy City half of its residents, easily. While the figure in the news report had certainly intimidated her, she had become determined to use whatever powers she would get for a better purpose – except she never got any.

 _'Gah...'_ The girl caught herself thinking about that again. She clicked on a random picture – and froze. _'But... that's...!'_ Suddenly, Ruiko heard someone sitting on the chair across from her. Intent on giving the rude person a lecture she froze again upon seeing them. Checking the screen of her laptop twice to make sure, she found herself speechless at the sight of self-same 'Demon King', whom she had recognized as the guy who manipulated Mikoto's Railgun attack on the day of the System-Scan, sitting right in front of her.

* * *

On the school grounds of the Tokiwadai Middle School, Mikoto and Kuroko were cleaning a large pool as per their punishment. The electromaster used the time to think about her encounter with an old acquaintance early the day before; a certain misfortunate level 0 with the unique ability Imagine Breaker, which resided in his right hand – Kamijou Touma.

Ever since he saved her life two years ago, Mikoto has been looking forward to spending as much time as humanly possible with him. Misfortunately, her tsundere tendencies cause her to attack him, making him run away and her to chase the poor idiot until he actually manages to shake her off, like yesterday, or she breaks off the chase due to other reasons.

On the flip-side, her attacks never ended fatally, no matter how much power she used thanks to his hand. Still, she mused, if she was going to improve her relationship with him, she should come up with better ways to spend time together – and learn to better control her temper. Just yesterday, the unlucky high schooler stated that their usual routine was getting bland. His casual suggestion of going on what basically was a lunch-date had been too much for the innocent young girl, which in turn started up another chase.

 _'I-it's not like I really want to be around him or anything...w-we've just known each other for so long and yet...y-yet...'_ Mikoto got frustrated, _'GAAAH! Fine! I'll look for him tomorrow and throw his idea in his freaking face! He's the one who suggested it, so he should take some god-damn responsibility!'_ Happy with the result of her mental outburst, outwardly signified only by her throwing her hands to her head and shaking it intensely, Tokiwadai's Ace picked up the mop she had dropped, completely oblivious to Kuroko's bewildered face.

* * *

Ruiko was trying to enjoy her milkshake quietly, but that was quite difficult being in the presence of a living urban legend. The 'Demon King', who had yet to address her in any way, drank his cappuccino in such a way that one would almost think he was at home. Taking a closer look now that she could, his appearance was a little fascinating:

He was a Caucasian of high school or university age, with unkempt, medium-long, wavy dark brown hair and a green eye on the left side of his face and matching blond and magenta counterparts on his right. His overall face structure, oval on top of a triangular jaw set with a wide forehead, wasn't bad on the eyes, though he had bushy eye-brows and three-day stubble in both colors each, which disproved her theory concerning hair-dye. His body form was lean, almost skinny, but he was definitely tall, somewhere around 1.8 meters (about 5'11"). He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a white stripe running horizontaly across his chest, and baggy half-jeans of a darker blue. The most striking feature, however, were undoubtedly his eyes: each eye had a U-shaped sigil, almost like sharp prongs, of the opposing color framing the pupils in them, though the green-on-magenta one was upside-down, as well as long lashes. His expression was stoic, a perfect mask of indifference.

Honestly, Ruiko had no idea what to do in this situation. She remembered Yomikawa's words about not antagonizing him, and now that she knew what he could do, thanks to the old news report, she was going to be extra careful about that. It didn't stop her from being curious, though. _'What is he thinking about?'_ As though in response, she could've sworn she saw a ghost of a smile grace his lips.

After a while, she saw him blink, before groaning and holding his head as though he was having a migraine. Before she could ask what was wrong, the doors of the café burst open, revealing men in black leather jackets bringing out guns, their leader shouting: "All right, nobody moves! Unless you're forking out your valuables!"

 _'They're robbing a café?!'_ Ruiko was amazed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. A boy in the far corner said something about rotten luck, but her attention was captured by what her uninvited companion, who seemed far less impressed, did – he lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers, thrice.

*Clack*

The goons' weapons butted their owners in the head so hard that they drop them.

*Clack*

Their belts unhooked and removed themselves before smacking their former owners' hindquarters, causing the thugs to cover those with their hands only to have their wrists snared by the belts.

*Clack*

Their shoelaces untied and cross-tied themselves, causing the robbers to stumble and fall to the ground, groaning.

.

.

.

 _W-what just happened?_ That question ran through everyone's minds as the 'Demon King' calmly went back to his drink.

* * *

Kamijou Touma was a most unfortunate person. The level 0's complete lack of good luck was one of his few trademarks, the other two being his spiky black hair and the power of his right hand, Imagine Breaker. Just yesterday he'd been chased around by little miss Railgun, courtesy of his own, somehow, poorly thought out words. If it had been anyone else on the receiving end of those bolts, he doubted they would've gotten away at all.

Now mind you, if anyone asked him if he ever regretted saving Mikoto back then, he'd look at them like they were crazy, as his friend and classmate Tsuchimikado Mototharu can tell you. He'd have done it a thousand times over and then some.

Now, as mentioned, Touma's luck is, quite frankly, the worst, despite what the boys in his class insist. If you want an example, just look at his current situation – he was visiting a café when a group of young men dressed like bikers came in to rob the place.

'But those men were stopped,' is what you're thinking, right?

Yes, but Touma had noticed the person behind that – and call him paranoid, but he had a good reason to be cautious right now.

Now, the black haired middle-school girl, he didn't know her. It was her seating partner who caught Touma's attention. The 'Demon King', unmistakable by his dual-color hair, was sipping cappuccino opposite said girl.

While Touma was glad he wasn't wrecking the city like the last time he saw him, he couldn't help but wonder what the young man was up to now. Just as Touma saw him get up –

"Hey," he said.

The 'Demon King' turned his way, the surprise written bluntly across his face, before recognition replaced it, followed by the original boredom. "You, huh?" he said, in a deep tenor which he kept neutral. Well, at least he didn't seem to hold a grudge, Touma thought.

Now he just had to make sure Mikoto doesn't see this guy...

Which he found out was easier said than done – the guy seemed to disappear into thin air, no sound effects included. Visually, it looked like wiping off smudge from a window.

Both Touma and the girl were too bewildered to notice the waitress approaching.

"Excuse me, that man was an acquaintance of yours, no?" Taken by surprise, Touma stumbled through a response: "Uh, that's-"

"Then would you be so kind as to pay the bill?" she continued with a strict tone, handing the unfortunate boy the price for both beverages of that table.

"... My rotten luck."

* * *

"I'm so sorry," Ruiko said in earnest sympathy to the high school boy who, somehow, ended up paying for both her and the 'Demon King's' bill. "No, no, it's fine." "Really?"

"Just another day in this Kamijou's life...(sigh)"

"... does this usually happen to you?" she asked perplexed.

"Actually, I've never had to pay for someone else after witnessing a botched robbery by a bunch of idiots." "I know, right?" "Other than that, though, yeah. You could say I'm pretty unlu – wah!"

Just as he stepped backwards, a tennis ball found itself under that very foot he used. And he found himself on his back with an aching head.

"... I see..." Ruiko said, sweat-dropping. Then, she remembered something.

"Hey, you know that 'Demon King' guy, don't you?" He sat up: "... What makes you think that?"

She deadpanned him for the obvious deflection. Her grades may not be the best, but she's insightful when she wants to be. Plus: "You said 'Hey' like he was an old friend or something."

Now it was Touma's turn to sweat-drop: "No, not a friend. Actually, we didn't have the best first meeting." Ruiko gave him a curious look. Sighing, he looked around before asking: "What's it to you, uh..." He just realized that he didn't have her name.

"Ah, Ruiko. Saten Ruiko. Level 0-geh." Shit, she thoughtlessly let that slip.

"Ah. Kamijou Touma. Same," he reached for her hand from his sitting position, "Nice to meet you."

"Ah," came a voice from down the street, "I thought I heard a stupid voice," they turned towards the source, "Making more lady friends, Kamijou?" Ruiko looked on in bewilderment, while Touma held his head in an exhausted way, "Better not let the third-rate catch ya, ya know how she gets about that," finished Accelerator, who was wearing the same school uniform as Touma, with a grin that could put a shark to shame.


	3. Level Upper pt 2

**AN: As one guest pointed out, Kamikoto is the main shipping here, however that's not the cornerstone of my story. The title character is, albeit he won't be** _ **the**_ **protagonist until after Level Upper.**

 **Level Upper Part 2**

In a certain, tall, Windowless Building, a 'human' observed the screens before him. Usually, the city under his charge did not need his personal touch.

Usually, there was not a potential threat right before his eyes.

The images captured on the screens were all from different times. Some were quite recent, only minutes old, others were from _an incident that happened two years ago_ , and others were even older.

Whether the shy Gemstone, the rampaging madman, or the current mystery, they all showed the same person: The being most know only as 'Demon King'.

Normally, not even Aleister Crowley could be kept away from knowledge associated with his city, like the name and ability of a mere child. Then again, _most such knowledge was not erased from every known electronic and biologic record (i.e. memories) in that same city_. Fortunately for Aleister, he had been spared of that and clearly remembered the boy's name and talent. That predicted talent, however, was now useless – his powers had been further developed outside of the city, and were _beyond the predicted level from what he could see_.

AC's General Director frowned. This young man was an unstable factor – one that, if handled wrongly, could prove... disastrous. Even Imagine Breaker was malleable, as Aleister understood Touma's nature. But an esper that could damage the Windowless Building was a potential plague – or asset. He just needed more information on this boy.

A soft sound indicated the arrival of a visitor he had asked for on short notice. As the building had neither doors nor windows, the only way to access the inside was via a teleporter, though only one knew the coordinates to use.

"One minute," he told her, letting her know when to come back.

"So what is it, Aleister? If I didn't know better, I'd say your notice seemed...rushed."

"This boy, what do you think of him?"

"That half-Gemstone? Between good and evil, I'd be hard pressed to choose, but between like and dislike, I've always preferred the more quirky ones."

"Watch him, Noukan. And keep an eye out for the Imagine Breaker too. Find explanations for what developments happen between them."

"That boy? Hrmph. Between good and evil, that kid is sickingly good."

"So between like and dislike, you dislike him?"

"Actually...I'm not so sure."

Aleister said nothing as the teleporter took the Kihara out of the Building.

* * *

Saten Ruiko was currently in a most peculiar position. It wasn't all that bad, in her mind. She just couldn't help but wonder how her friends would react to this.

She was currently in a certain park, on a certain bench near a certain broken vending machine. To her left was Kamijou Touma, a fellow level 0 and seeming acquaintance of the infamous 'Demon King'. And standing in front of them, was the #1 level 5, the 'strongest esper', Accelerator.

Since both boys were wearing the same uniform, it was somewhat obvious that they go to the same school and knew each other from there.

"So," said Accelerator, still grinning, "what's the story, Kamijou?" He nodded to the girl.

"... I ended up paying for her food," Touma confessed in a comically appropriate tone. Ruiko scratched her cheek as the level 5 cackled, clutching his stomach.

"Ahahaha! Oh, my f*cking god, that's good. Never heard that one before! Hahaha!"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. {sigh} Rotten luck," said the misfortunate boy in defeat.

A: "So?"

T: "So what?"

A: "How the f*ck did that happen? You trip another waitress?"

R: 'This happens to him on a regular basis!?'

T: "Don't make it sound like I do that on purpose!"

R: 'He's not even denying it!'

A: "So what happened? It's not like your 'rotten luck' just happens out of nowhe– on second thought, I take that back."

T: "No, don't – you're not gonna listen to me are you?"

R: 'Just what kind of luck does this guy have?!'

"Alright, spill already," demanded Accelerator, having had his fun with Touma.

"Well, I was in this café when robbers came in – yeah, I know, who the hell robs a café? Anyways, all of a sudden, they're on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs."

"What, you couldn't see what happened?"

Touma did his best to describe the exact happenings.

"Then what? Who was snapping?"

The unfortunate boy paused before saying: "You remember how we met?"

"The f*ck's that got to do with-" Accelerator's eyes widened. "You're pulling my f*cking leg, man."

"No I'm not. He was there."

"Alright," the strongest esper motioned to Ruiko, "how's she fit into this?"

"That guy sat himself at my table without asking," she replied, wondering how them meeting each other coincided with their knowing that mysterious esper.

"And since I gave away that I knew him, when he disappeared, the waitress made me pay for them both," finished Touma, rubbing the back of his head.

"So," said Ruiko, "how are you two related to the 'Demon King'?"

"Why should we tell you?" asked Accelerator with a glare that made her shiver.

"Sorry," said Touma, "but I'd rather not involve you in this."

"I am involved," declared the girl.

The Strongest raised a brow. "How so?"

"Just this week, he was messing with Misaka-san's powers."

That got their full attention. "You're friends with the third-rate?" asked the level 5.

"Um, yeah. You guys know her?" she asked.

"You could say that," replied the male level 0, "In fact, there's something you have to promise."

"? Yeah, what?"

"Whatever happens, _please_ don't tell her about him."

"What, why?"

"Cause she'll f*cking flip if you do," said the #1.

"What?"

"Look, just, please," Touma looked at her with a serious, pleading face, "don't let her even think about him, okay?"

After a moment, Ruiko slowly nodded. She didn't know what the fuss was, but it seemed to be the best for Mikoto if she kept quiet.

"Also, if we see each other again, pretend it's for the first time. Otherwise, she'll be asking questions," added Accelerator.

Again, she nodded.

"Now, then," said Touma, "What's this about messing with Biri-biri's powers?"

'Biri-biri?'

* * *

Once again, the 'human' heard the sound of a teleporter entering, this one sounding more like the attempt of an amateur. However, this time he was not expecting any visitors.

"I can hear you."

"Aah, the 'Demon King'. Or should I–?"

"That name is on hold."

Looking ahead, Aleister watched the very esper he had assigned Kihara Noukan to watch over step out into the orange light of the room. The expression on his face was literally mixed – the right half was insanely happy, while the left was sensibly upset.

"So what is it you want from one such as I? Unless you only came here just to boast about getting into my sanctuary?"

"For your curiosity, I read your Move Point's mind for the coordinates. As to what I want, I want in on your Anti-Magic plan."

The 'human' narrowed his eyes.

"Right. You said you 'could hear me'. Then you know what I want to know."

"It seems that right hand is rather essential to your plans. How much would you need to adjust if it, say, switched owners?"

"...You're not him."

"No, I'm not." The young man's whole face became serious as he sighed.

"But I have an idea for that..."

Aleister listened, finding that this idea made the suggested change more manageable. Though he made a mental note that someone coming up with such a plan would find a way around the perceived sacrifice going through with it would require.

"You do realize that the only reason this can work is because you read my mind?"

"Of course I do. I may not be that Righty, but if it's the me before I came here, I can come close..."

With that, the 'Demon King' left to implement his idea, withholding several parts of his own scheme.

Aleister knew that he did, but as long as his plans came to fruition, nothing else matters.

* * *

The next day, Sunday the 17th, Mikoto was looking around in a park for a little girl's missing bag. She had spent a minute with Kazari, whom Kuroko then dragged back to work. They accidentally left the former's Judgment armband on the table, prompting a nearby Judgment senpai to mistake her for a new recruit, roping her into this job.

The only reason she stopped trying to sort things out and helped was because Kazari had told her about recent bombing incidents, where the culprit had hidden bombs in stuffed animals or bags. It had nothing at all to do with Kuroko's hen-pecking her about interfering with her work, nope, no-sir-ee.

"Is that you, Biribiri?"

She had just been bending over the slide when she heard that voice sound out, causing her to look up in surprise.

However, this made her miss the young boy using the slide right then, who crashed into her side that was hovering above the equipment.

Holding herself where she was hit, she yelled: "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"You're the one who was – I'll shut up now," Touma tried to retort, before she turned to glare at him with sparks flying on her bangs.

"And you!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't that my question? You're the one crawling around a playground wearing a Judgment armband."

"Idiot!" she looked back to the actual Judgment member, who noticed the new arrival but didn't hear what he said, before pulling the high-school student close.

"Look, there was a misunderstanding and now she thinks I'm a recruit," she hissed.

"So why aren't you clearing that up?" he asked.

"There's this kid's bag we looking for. I don't have time for details but –"

"Ah! There!" cried out the judgment member, pointing beyond both of them.

They looked that way, seeing a dog with a pink bag in its mouth.

"I got it!" yelled Mikoto, causing the pet to start running off.

"Oi, wait!" she shouted, sprinting to catch up with the dog.

After a few seconds she realized that she wasn't catching up at all. At the same time someone else sped past her before pouncing on the animal, who let go of the bag and defended itself from its assailant.

"Youch, Fukou da!"

Her lip-corners tugged as Mikoto let loose some sparks to scare off the dog before walking over to the bag and carefully picking it up.

* * *

As it turned out, Mikoto's fear that the bag was a bomb was wrong, so the relieved girl took a seat on a bench next to the unlucky boy, who was nursing his bite-marks. The bench sat between two potted bushes.

"How come you caught up with a stupid dog that outran me?" she grumbled.

"Well, biologically speaking, I'm both older, and a boy, so that's two advantages I have," was the reply, earning the speaker a pouty glare, making for a strange cocktail of scary and cute, which the older boy tried to distract himself from.

"So I got myself mauled because some weirdo is going around turning kids' bags into bombs?" Touma asked, blowing on a mark on his arm.

"Not just bags, stuffed animals too," she replied, "plus, he doesn't so much turn them into bombs as he stuffs the bombs in the-huh?" She looked to her left, into the bush next herself.

"Is there something in there?" she asked, as her natural electro-magnetic field was detecting something metal in there.

" What's wrong?" Touma stood up to see what caught the girl's attention.

What she pulled out was a large plush toy, a white rabbit.

"Wh-"

Mikoto's question was cut off as they saw the rabbit begin to collapse in itself. Mikoto immediately thought of Kazari describing the cause for the bombing to be 'graviton-acceleration through the use of aluminum'.

Right next to her widening eyes, Touma's right hand shot out towards the plush, and with a crashing sound, it returned to normal. While he didn't know exactly what almost happened, he instinctively sensed the supernatural danger and reacted to it.

Right as the danger passed, Mikoto looked around, searching for someone who would be miffed, confused and surprised all at once while also ready to run off straight away.

'There!'

A gangly, four-eyed high-school boy met her eyes, before dashing into the alley behind himself.

"Come on!" she yelled, dragging Touma by his collar as she pursued the culprit.

However, right before they entered the alley, she was suddenly assaulted by electric interference, the sort that mentalists cause on her, giving her a literally shocking headache. Because of that, she didn't hear Imagine Breaker going off, and Touma was too preoccupied with her condition to register it properly.

"Biribiri! Oi, Mikoto! Are you okay!?" worried, he brought his hand against her head, which seemed to stop her condition.

"...the bomber..." she mumbled.

"I'll take care of that," he said, leaning her against the wall before entering the alley, not noticing how everyone aside from them looked like they had been flash-frozen, except without ice.

What he did see, however, was an old acquaintance hoisting the Graviton Bomber by his collar as the demonic looking esper took an iPod with head-phones from him.

As he did, Touma could hear him calmly dressing down his captive.

"Pitiful, the moment you got power, you became the same as your tormentors. Did you even have anything planned, or were you just lashing out blindly? Don't answer, I don't want to hear the reasons of someone who victimizes others because of association and misplaced blame. Now then-"

Touma stepped forward, catching the 'Demon King's attention, who briefly looked at him before throwing the third boy at the newcomer.

"Uff!" Touma caught him, allowing the more powerful young man to escape with the same invisibility as before.

Just in time, too, as Mikoto had recovered enough to come into the alley, barely missing her old nightmare as he made his way to his next checkpoint.

* * *

 **Read & Review, please!**


	4. Level Upper pt 3

**AN: And now for a somewhat shorter chapter. Enjoy!  
**

 **Level Upper Part 3**

The same day, Sunday July 17th, Saten Ruiko was sitting in a certain family diner, a little away from where Mikoto and Kazari had sat, not that she knew that, over a small ice parfait.

Suddenly, she felt someone was next to her, and looked to see the 'Demon King'.

"Do you mind if I sit?"

"Oh, _now_ you ask?" she deadpanned. If she remembered Yomikawa's words correctly, she should be safe as long as she doesn't attack him or anything.

Not that she would. They both new she didn't have a snowball's chance in hell against him.

Sighing, she waved towards the seat opposite of her own, which he took.

"You wouldn't happen to feel like explaining-"

"Why I sat next to you before?" he finished for her.

...

Yeah, _totally_ not creepy.

"I wanted your attention."

She stared at him. What was he, 14 with a crush?

"Well, you have it. But what for?"

"Your Level."

She grimaced.

"No, I don't want just _any_ Level 0. You fit my criteria best."

Criteria? And how did he know what she was thinking, was he a telepath?

"Your attempts at progress have come against a cliff. And this place seems to lack the will to move you to the next stage, where they believe you will stay even if you reach it."

"Wait, what?"

What's this weirdo talking about? And he should lay off the whole 'dark and edgy' shtick, it's no longer in.

*eyebrow-twitch* "I can offer you two solutions, alternate paths up the mountain of power."

He reached into his pockets and pulled out small, flat, clear cases labeled 'Stairs' and 'Elevator'. Inside she could see tiny chips.

"The stairway to power is long and winding, though certainly better than crawling up a cliff," he spoke, laying the corresponding case down, "Take the steps one hour every day."

"Okay," she said, "What about this?" She pointed towards the other case.

"An elevator is smooth and straight," he answered, laying the item on the table, "but take heed – easy power has a difficult price." His asymmetrically colored face seemed to darken at that.

Was he speaking from personal experience?

The young man pushed both cases to Ruiko, one on either side of her half-finished parfait.

"Why give me two?" she asked, "Wouldn't it make more sense to give me the one you want me to use?"

He stared into her eyes with intent, the opposing sigils forming a disturbingly fascinating image.

"Do not take choice for granted. It doesn't end well."

"...So, basically, you wanted me to make my own decision?"

He nodded.

Still hesitant, she decided to pocket the cases for now. She would save that choice for later.

"That is also a viable choice," he said, "Now, if you'll excuse me."

She watched as his face hardened in concentration and-

*pak!*

He was gone with a sound that was, well, _rougher_ than Kuroko's when she uses her ability.

'Teleportation?!'

She didn't know he could do that. Heck, she didn't even _think_ he could. Just what kind of ability does he have?

And what did he mean with that nonsense at the beginning? She decided to write down as much as she remembered so that she could ask someone later.

* * *

The young man sat on a roof not far from the diner with closed eyes, looking like he was listening to music on the iPod he had taken from the Bomber, of which he had made a copy for Ruiko. Technically, he was, but he was more immersed in a sound only he could hear at the moment, the different layers and tones of it would seem like a cacophony to an amateur, but to him, it was one of the most beautiful 'voices' he has 'heard' in the entire world.

It would not do to say 'barring his family' because the only member whose 'voice' he had ever 'heard' had been unrecognizably twisted.

He then opened his eyes, training them on the long-haired girl as she left the diner, her mind swirling between the options he had given her.

Deciding, reluctantly, that he had heard enough of her for now, he stood up and made himself invisible, so none may see him moving around.

* * *

Mikoto and Touma were making their way to Judgment Branch 177 to return Uiharu Kazari's armband, after taking out the 'Graviton-Bomber' and clearing up the misunderstanding with the senior Judgment officer who had mistaken Mikoto for a recruit.

As they moved by a 24h shop, Touma saw the ATM and remembered: "Oh, yeah, I was going to draw out my weekly allowance. Otherwise I can't buy supper tonight."

Rolling her eyes, Mikoto waited while Touma used the machine. When she noticed him panicking after taking out the money, she asked: "Oi, what's the matter?"

"My card! It got stuck again!" The boy put his hands to his head, rubbing his hair in frustration. "Now I'll have to order another replacement at the bank, Fukou Da!"

Sighing, the Railgun put her hand against the ATM, and unleashed a few sparks into it, giving him back his card.

Immediately, he took the card out, grabbed her hand, and got out of there before the camera on the machine could get his picture as it blared in alarm.

"Thanksforgettingmycardbackbutnexttimetrynottobreakthemachine!" he yelled as he sped away, dragging the Level 5 along.

"I was _trying_ to be gentle, it's not my fault these things are so fragile!" she yelled back with a red face.

* * *

Snickering could be heard as the 'Demon King' watched them speed past himself in an attempt to escape the vandalism alert.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind him.

"Looking for your car, sensei?" he answered as he turned around.

The sleepy looking woman gave pause, eyeing him for a moment.

"There aren't that many other reasons why a studious-looking adult would speak to a random student," he supplemented.

She seemed to accept that and listened to his directions after describing the garage where she left her car at to the best of her ability.

In the middle of it, "It's hot," she said, reaching up for her shirt-buttons, only for him to interrupt himself and flash his eyes at her.

" **Don't strip for the rest of the day.** "

Her eyes flashed with sigils identical to the red one for a moment, until her hands were back at her sides, well away from her shirt.

"?" She was confused about what just happened, as she couldn't remember.

"Sensei, why don't we take this somewhere with air conditioning, you look rather – sweltered," the young man offered.

"You just don't want to call me hot, is that it?" she remarked, almost in passing.

'I almost forgot that there's a reason talented scientists have less common sense than most people,' he thought, ignoring her comment and directing her to the same diner where he met with Ruiko.

"So, where were we...?" asked Kiyama Harumi after they seated themselves.

"Quick question, sensei," the young man interjected.

"May I borrow your Level Upper network?"

The woman's eyes widened marginally.

"I have the mind of a level 5 Telepath. Add in all the 0s, 1s and 2s in this network, and I can give you your calculations. In return, I'll use this network for my own purposes, which does not include any permanent harm towards the members."

"...Why?"

"I might have a soft spot for children. And I know what it's like to suffer because of power."

* * *

"Geez, Onee-sama, you really have to be more prudent with these things," sighed Kuroko, having gotten the full event relayed to her after the two arrived at the Judgment office.

"Like I told him," answered Mikoto, jabbing a finder at Touma, "it wasn't my fault!"

He sweat-dropped, silently blaming his bad luck, a notion which he knew over 90% of the city wouldn't agree with on principle.

"In the first place, why the hell are machines made in the _metropolis of science_ still susceptible to electric 'attacks' of a few Volt!"

"Uhm, Misaka-san," interjected Ruiko, who had arrived right after them, "don't you think your basic output is a _'little'_ more than a few Volt?"

The Level 5 suddenly looked very guilty.

"Besides," added Kazari, who was working on her laptop, "it's not so much that you break the machines as that you set off the vandalism alarms, right?"

Mikoto glared at Touma for misinforming her.

"Eh? Is that what happens every time she does that?" he asked, shying away from her eyes.

"You mean you didn't know that? Just how uneducated are you, you ape?" commented Kuroko, vexed that he was here to begin with.

"I go to a perfectly 'normal' high school, thank you very much," Touma shot back, "I'm sorry I'm not as educated as the middle schoolers who have already covered the classes I have."

"Eh? Seriously?" asked Ruiko, looking at the two in question.

While Kuroko looked amused, Mikoto sighed in resignation, which basically confirmed what the high-school student had said.

The 'normal' middle school girls exchanged awed/dumbfounded looks.

 **Read & Review, please!**


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